TYPES OF BOXING INJURIES -

Boxing is one of the few sports in which a competitor's success is determined largely by the amount of harm he inflicts on his opponent. When a boxer is knocked down, quite often he hasn't been merely knocked off balance. Chances are he has been struck in the head so hard and so many times in the match that he is dazed and disoriented at the least, and possibly knocked completely unconscious. Even one such incident can cause permanent damage, but professional boxers may fight dozens of times in their career. In fact, boxing is considered by some to be so dangerous that numerous medical organizations around the world have called for it to be banned. INJURIES RESULTING FROM BOXING * Head Injury The Surgeons say that 90% of boxers sustain a brain injury. Boxing may account for fewer deaths than some other sports but the numbers of boxers suffering brain damage are believed to be much higher than recorded. It is not surprising that head injury is so common in boxing. It is estimated that when a boxer gets a direct blow to the head it is like being hit by a 12lb padded, wooden mallet travelling at 20mph! Being hit on the head can cause fractures to the bone of the head and face and tissue damage in the brain. A blow can damage the surface of the brain, tear nerve networks, cause lesions, bleeding and sometimes produce large clots within the brain. The degree of damage suffered by boxers will depend on professional or amateur status. Professional boxers suffer from the cumulative effect of damage to the brain, often resulting in punch drunk' syndrome. The evidence of damage suffered by amateur boxers less clear cut, a number of studies found no evidence of cumulative brain damage. BODY DAMAGE FROM BOXING Cuts, bruises, broken teeth, dental problems, broken ribs, internal bleeding damage to internal organs. EYE INJURIES FROM BOXING Although protected by very hard bone on the side eyes are very vulnerable to direct hits from below. Damage to the eyes in boxing can result from direct contact or from shock waves set up in fluid contents. Depending on the force of the blow damage may result in injury to the retina, retinal detachment, retinal hemorrhage, etc. EX-BOXERS MORE VULNERABLE TO DISEASE AND DETERIORATION IN OLD AGE Ex-boxers are more vulnerable to natural aging of the brain and diseases of brain. They may be more likely to suffer diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Boxers' brains are smaller and surface grey matter is thinner. The ventricles within the brain enlarged because of the decrease in the brain's white matter. MEDICAL EXAMINATION AND SAFETY STANDARDS IN BOXING In the US legislation has gone some way to providing boxers with protection from exploitation and with health and safety monitoring and health insurance (e.g. The Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996, The Mohammed Ali Boxing Reform Act'). Many medical professionals believe that further legislation is required to further protect boxers, especially professional in this sport. Many more would like to see boxing banned altogether. BOXING BRAIN INJURIES The most electrifying moment of any fight is when there is a knockdown or knockout. These are most often the result of a hard, explosive punch landing on the jaw or on a thinner part of the skull, producing concussive effects inside the brain. In and of itself, that constitutes a mild brain injury, and unfortunately more serious injuries are also a risk of the sport. * Knockdown The most frequent causes of a boxing knockdown are a minor trauma to the brain stem caused by the head twisting due to a hard blow at an odd angle, or from a very minor concussion. In both cases, the boxer rarely loses consciousness, but does suffer a short impairment in neurological functions, especially motor control. * Concussion Low priority concussions often result in the temporary loss of consciousness, and in boxing this produces a knockout. The results are also a short-term, but more profound and longer lasting impairment of neurological function. Rotational Damage Sometimes the violent shaking and rotational motion produced by taking a punch can tear the connective tissue fastening the brain inside the skull, which can result in lethal injury if the skull is subjected to later trauma. This is exactly what happened to boxer Ernie Schaaf in 1933. * Subdural Hematoma A subdural hematoma is a rare occurrence, but it does sometimes happen inside the ring. This is when a hard blow damages an artery inside the brain, causing inter-cranial bleeding and a potentially fatal build-up of pressure on the brain. * Dementia Pugilistica "Punch drunkenness" or dementia pugilistica is a condition of declining mental ability due to cumulative brain damage sustained by veteran professional boxers. * Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali is often incorrectly thought to suffer from dementia pugilistica, but in reality he suffers from Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson's is largely a genetic condition, but his boxing career is thought to have aggravated his condition. BOXER'S FRACTURE SYMPTOMS The typical symptoms of a boxer's fracture are pain or tenderness centered in a specific location on the hand corresponding to one of the metacarpal bones, around the knuckle. You may also note pain with movement of your hand or fingers. When a bone is broken, you may experience a snapping or popping sensation in the affected bone. Your hand may swell, discolor, or bruise around the injury site. Deformity of the broken bone or the knuckle, may also be noted. There may also be abnormal movement of the broken bone fragments. The doctor may be able to produce pain by pressing on the broken bone. In addition, pain can be produced by grabbing the finger that attaches to the metacarpal bone that was hurt and pushing it inward toward the broken bone. If you make a fist with the affected hand, the doctor may notice misalignment of the associated finger. The doctor may see a deformity of the broken bone. When making a fist, the finger involved may bend toward the thumb more than is usual. This is known as rotation, and, though not always seen, its presence may indicate the possibility of a more serious type of boxer's fracture. Another common sign of a possible boxer's fracture is a cut on the hand. A cut in the skin associated with a boxer's fracture may indicate a more serious type of boxer's fracture. 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